Egg carton



Dec. 27, 1932. DUGDAL'E 1,892,612

EGG CARTON Filed May 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l fij wm Dec. 27, 1932. c DUGDALE EGG CARTON Filed May 22, 1951- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y. Z 4 my n m r a a Patented Dec. 27, 1932 CHARLES Brennan DUGDALE, or FAIRHAVEN, MASSACHUSETTS EGG CARTON Application filed May 22, 1931. Serial No. 539,389.

This invention relatesto egg cartons of the collapsible type which may be readily assembled and dissembled and folded for packaging. I

The main object of the invention is to provide a carton having a body which can be stamped out of a single sheet of materlal and adapted to be combined with partltions 1n Such manner that the assembled carton when collapsed will fold and occupy substantially the same area as the bottom or top of the assembled carton.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view of the carton with the parts thereof in assembled position ready to receive eggs or other articles of similar shape;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a closed carton, part of the cover being broken away to show details of construction;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 4-l of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the carton in collapsed and folded position with the cover raised to Show the arrangement of parts of the carton body when folded;

Figure 6 is a plan illustrating in development the body of the carton as stamped out from a sheet of material; and

Figure 7 is an elevation of one of the transverse partitions of the carton.

As shown in the drawings, the body 1 of the carton (see Figure 6) is stamped from a sheet of cardboard and comprises a central strip 2 creased to form 'the front wall 3, end walls 4 and 5 and a back wall 6 having a tab 7 at one end. thereof adapted to form a means for securing the four walls 3, '1 5 and 6 in assembled relationship. As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the walls of the carton when they are assembled assun'ie a rectangular form and the rear wall 6 is secured to the end wall 4 by means of an adhesive applied to the tab 7 which is then stuck to the wall 4 in the usual manner.

HEISSUED A series of transverse partitions 8 extend between thefront and rear walls of the carton and are secured thereto by the tabs 9 and 10, respectively, the said tabs being bent at right angles to vthe plane of the partitions 8 and being suitably secured to the said front and rear walls. As will be seen from Figure 1 of the drawings, the tabs 9 and 10 are creased at their connection with partitions '8 so that they form hinges about which the front and rear walls may be swung in order to collapse the carton. -The tab 9 is shorter than the tab 10 in order to provide for the insertion of the flap 11 of the cover 12 be tween the front wall 3 and the adjacent ends 6 of the partitions,8. i

The upper corners of the partitions 8 are cut off in order to eliminate sharp corners which may catch on objects or the fingers of the person using the carton. The upper edge of the center of each partition 8 is provided with a slot 13 of sufficient width to accommodate two plies of cardboard, andthe opposite sides of the slot 13 are cut off at an angle in order to facilitate the insertion of the central walls Y14 and 15 into assembled and locked relation in the said slot 13.

The walls 14 and 15 are each provided with slots 16 through which the partitions 8 are passed. These slots- 16 are each of a width slightly greater than the thickness of the partitions 8 so as to provide ventilation for the articles placed within the carton and to permit the ready assembly of the several parts thereof. It will be seen from Figures 5 l and 3 of the drawings, that the walls 14 and 15 really form the bottom of the carton. *In the laying out of the parts of the cartons these walls 14 and 15 are made equal in width to the width w of the carton itself in order that the carton when collapsed will occupy-"the same area as that occupied by the carton assembled. The layout is clearly i1- lustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings which shows the cover 12 as provided with creases 17 and 18 spaced apart so that the several parts of the carton when folded will occupy the same area as the carton does when assembled. As shown in Figure 6, the distance between the upper edge 19 of the wall 15 and Y 10, as hin es, to bring the lower edge 20 of the wall 6 is equal to the distance w between thisedge 20 and the crease 18 and it is also equal to the distance between the crease l 8.and the outer edge 21 of the flap 11. The distance between the upper edge 22 of the rear wall 6 and the crease 17 is also equal to the width w of the carton when assembled. Of course, the wall 14 is exactly the same in width and in all other respects to the wall 15.

It will be seen from Figure 6 of the drawings, that when the rear wall 15 is folded about the lower edge 20 of the wall 6 its edge 19 will coincide with the crease 18 on the cover and when the cover is bent around the crease 18 over the wall 15 the edge 21 of the flap 11 will be even-with the edge 20 at the joint between walls 6 and 15. V

In securing the parts together it will be necessary to pass the cross partitions 8 through the slots 16 in the walls 14 and 15, and to paste or otherwise secure the tabs 9 and 10 to the front and rear walls of the carton in properly spaced relation. It will be evident that the walls 14 and 15 (see Figure 3) may be swun up into contact with t e front and rear wafis 3 and 6 flat against the inside of these front and rear walls, and that when they are so swung u the front and rear walls may be collapse about the tabs 9 and the front and rear walls toget er with the central walls 14 and 15 fiat between them. This arrangement is shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. In this position the wall 4 with a part 22 of the front wall 3 may be swung about the crease 23 at the hinge of the second cross partition, from the left of the Figure 1, into a position below the cover 12, in which position the cover 12 may be collapsed on the end wall 4, the folded front wall 3 and end wall 5 to completely cover the collapsed carton body, which will then occupy the samearea as is shown occupied by the assembled carton of Figure 2 of the drawings.

The cartons will be shipped in quantities in collapsed conditionto the egg packaging plants to'be assembled for use. In order to form the carton so as to receive the eggs all that is necessaryis to take a folded carton, as shown in Figure 5, raise the-cover 12 thereof, straighten out the end wall 4 and the part 22 of the front-wall?) and then swing the said front wall about the transverse partitions 8, as hinges, until the front and end walls of the carton assume a rectangular formation with the central walls 14 and 15 fiat against the insideof the front and rear walls respectively: In": this position the central walls are bent towarfd the center of the carton until the upper ends of the slots 16 contact with the bottomsof the slots 13, in which positionthe uppe-g'ends of the two walls 14 and 15 will be in"'aline1nent and the curved portionsv betweenwthe Partitions 8 form the bottom of the cells adapted to receive eggs. The cover 12 can then be swung about the edge 22 of the rear wall 6 and. the flap 11 tucked in between the front wall 3 and the front edges of the partitions 8 to form a completely closed carton, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

What I claim is 1. An egg carton comprising a single sheet of cardboard cut and creased to form front, rear and end walls, a to integral with the rear wall, and a two part ottom, said bottom parts respectively integral with the front and rear walls and extending up between said walls with their free inner edges contacting to form a partition bisecting the carton lengthwise, said bottom being provided with slots, and transverse partitions extending through said slots and having their opposite ends suitably secured to the inside of the front and rear walls.

2. An egg carton comprising "a sheet of material, cut and creased to form a top, side and end walls with a flap extending from the to edge of one side wall to constitute a top wit flaps associated with the bottom edges of the side walls and extending upwardly in the center of the carton with their opposite edges adjoining to form a partition oppositely curved in cross section and bisecting the carton lengthwise, and transverse partitions extending from the first named partition to each of said side walls.

3. An egg carton comprising a sheet of material cut and creased to form a to side and end walls, with flaps integral wit the front and rear walls to forma combined bottom and partition extending len hwise of the carton between the side wa s thereof, said partition being slotted, and transverse partitions extending through the slots of the bottom and partition to opposite walls of said carton, the said central partition and bottom flaps being foldable against the inside faces of the'front and rear walls of the carton to permit collapse of the front and rear walls toward each other, and to permit the folding of one end wall and part of the one front wall over the back wall.

4. An egg carton comprising a sheet of cardboard cut and creased to form a top,

front, rear and end walls, with bottom form ing flaps integral with the front and rear walls, each flap being of substantially the same width "as the width of the carton and.

being curved so that its free edge meets the free edge of the other flap and lies substantially flush with the top edges of the walls of said carton and bisecting the carton lengthwise, and transverse partitions extending between the said flaps and the front and rear walls of the carton. v

5. A carton comprising a sheet of cardboard cut and creased to form front, rear and end walls, having bottom forming flaps integral with the front and rear walls, each flap being greater in width than'one half the width of the carton and being bent to form a concave partition bisecting the carton lengthwise with the free edges of the flaps in contact with each other and flush with theupper edges of the carton.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

CHARLES RICHARD D GDALE. 

